


To Grace Me

by aria_vitali



Series: Collections of History Unwritten [15]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Ballroom Dancing, F/M, First Dance, Fluff, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-22
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:35:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22841845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aria_vitali/pseuds/aria_vitali
Summary: Or writing prompt: "Suddenly pulling them in for a dance."
Relationships: Aymeric de Borel & Warrior of Light, Aymeric de Borel/Original Character(s), Aymeric de Borel/Warrior of Light
Series: Collections of History Unwritten [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1541752
Kudos: 12
Collections: Final Fantasy XIV - Aymeric de Borel x WoL Recommendations





	To Grace Me

Aria twirled the champagne glass that she held absentmindedly. She knew that when she decided to allow herself to fall into relations with the lord commander and lord speaker of Ishgard, not to mention the viscount of House Borel, she would be obligated to attend social gatherings as his official partner. Not just to maintain appearances, but for the fact that she _must_ as the representative of House Lukos; having reconnected with her familial ties proved both useful and more troublesome than it was worth. 

Thus was the Warrior standing off to the side, not beyond arm’s length of Aymeric, but enough to disassociate herself from his talk with the nobles about political treatises. The distance was respectable and offered a silent statement: Aymeric de Borel will not tolerate any forced conversation of Ishgard’s political affairs onto her person this evening and neither he nor the woman will entertain any courtship attempts from any of the other houses. So, while the lord commander played his role to spare his love from the pains of doing so, Aria remained incredibly _bored_.

“Interesting bunch, the lot of them, aren’t they,” a familiar voice called out to her.

Aria shifted her head slightly and found an Elezen man of recognizably long silver hair and ashen eyes. He was nursing a cup of wine and switching between empty glasses and filled drinks that the servers were handing out as they did their rounds of the ballroom. The woman watched with awe as the now-retired Azure Dragoon downed glass after glass, mirroring how dull she found the ‘celebrations’ to be more explicitly.

“Estinien,” Aria answered in a breathy voice. “I never imagined you would be willing to attend.”  
The dragoon rolled his eyes. “If I had a choice, aye. However, _that_ one,” he tilted his glass towards Aymeric. “Insisted I join.”

Estinien gave a slight grin when he heard Aria giggling softly at his comment, taking the empty glass that was in her hand and exchanging it for a full glass of spiced wine when another server passed by.

“My thanks,” she answered, taking a sip and smiling to herself. “Not only for the drink, but for the company.”  
Estinien shrugged. “You need only put up with it for another bell, unlike the other one.”  
“I wish not to be in his position,” Aria sighed, shaking her head. “Needless to say, if he is in need of support, I am free to give it.”  
“You workaholic sods are all alike.”

Aria beamed and released another peal of laughter before she took another swig of her wine. The sound of her voice seemed to echo throughout the ballroom without her knowledge, the dragoon the only one aware of the eyes staring - or rather _pining_ \- after her. When Estinien shifted his eyes towards his comrade, he found a pair of slightly flushed cheeks and an innocent smile, an expression that made her seem as if she was sheltered and hidden away from the cruelties of the world. It made him wonder how often people see this side of her.

It was then that Aymeric excused himself from the nobles that surrounded him to step towards his closest confidants. He nodded towards Estinien and smiled fondly towards his love, lifting her hand in his so he may press a kiss to the back of her fingers. His eyes twinkled as he beheld her, in a formal high house ball dress of his colors, as her hair was curled to frame her face in a regal manner. He praised Halone that she was all his, for she looked to be a goddess in her own right.

“Mine apologies, Estinien,” Aymeric interrupted. “I hope that I am not cutting you off.”  
Estinien shrugged. “With the way you are smiling, I highly doubt you to be repentant.”  
Aymeric chuckled goodnaturedly. “I will not deny it. I do wish to ask our Warrior to grace me with a dance.”  
“Far be it for me to stop you,” Estinien chided, then pushed his comrade towards the lord commander.

Aria released a small, startled squeak and Aymeric steadied her while fluidly pulling her along to the center of the ballroom. The woman, adjusting quickly, repositioned herself to place a hand on his shoulder as he placed his on her waist while both of their second hands were interlocked with the other.

The sight of the lord speaker and the Warrior of Light at the center of the dancefloor seemed to have hushed the room. As eyes stared after them in a figurative spotlight, the orchestra had quickly put an end to the ongoing song to start anew. The music now was an upbeat waltz, inciting wonder and awe within the hearts of the onlookers to increase the expectation of the show about to be performed.

However, for Aymeric and Aria, they weren’t focused on the crowd or even their statuses. Rather, they felt their hearts beating against their skin and saw the twinkle in each other’s eyes. There was no audience in their small bubble; only each other. With Aymeric taking the lead, the two flowed and intertwined with each other in their dance. Their steps were smooth and the spins even more so. Aria fit snug in the man’s arms and he relished in the privilege of being allowed to hold her so close.

Every now and then, Aymeric would catch the longing stares of the other nobles from the corner of his eye. They knew the others were jealous of him for being able to take the Warrior into his embrace, just as he knew that others were feeling quite envious of the Warrior for monopolizing _him_. It only gave credit to his theory when he saw Aria give a sly smirk as she inclined her head downwards to hide her face. So, Aymeric simply drank up the ogling stares - because he knew that they belonged to each other and there was no way the others could separate them.

They were perfection.  
They were grace.  
 _They were love incarnate_.

When the song had reached its end, Aymeric spun Aria once more and gave her a small dip. As he leaned her backwards, he leaned in to fill the space, so much so that they were able to feel each other’s breath against their lips. Aria’s heart skipped a beat as she saw Aymeric’s eyes grow dark with need, but was able to keep distracted at the claps that surrounded them that allowed the couple to stay tethered to reality.

As another song began, Aymeric straightened his love and took her arm to hook on to his. They both gave a standard bow, as would actors at the end of their performance at a theater, before they excused themselves out of the ballroom. Estinien grinned while staring at them with a knowing smile, turning towards the open balcony to escape seeing as his closest companions no longer had an interest in continuing to partake in celebrations.

Aymeric pulled Aria along as they hid in an empty room. Once the door was shut, he pushed the small Hyur against the wall and pressed his lips against hers in a fierce kiss. Submitting to him and their lust, Aria gave a soft hum and returned his sentiments as he caged her in his arms. Here they stayed until they sought more privacy.

  
For the rest of the evening, they were nowhere to be found.


End file.
